Avant Garde Chairman retired Major Nissanka Senadhipathi yesterday said he can help rescue those Sri Lankans held captive by Somali pirates.
“We can help because we have the knowledge, experience, training and the expertise in all aspects of anti-piracy negotiations. We know how to handle adverse situations related to hijacking of ships by pirates,” said ex- Major Senadhipathi.
“As a soldier too I feel it is my duty to help them, but I cannot do so on impulse or with such freedom after what some ministers and officials of this government had done to condemn our maritime security services,” he said.
“However,” he said,” I am prepared to render my assistance to help the Sri Lankan victims held hostage by Somali pirates, should the government ask for my assistance.”
“Meanwhile, I must ask those ministers, currently making various statements about the situation in question, that their statements are bound to complicate the situation for the victims,” he said.
“There is a way to go about these situations now that the pirates have demanded a ransom,” he pointed out.
“Do not go highlighting UN concerns or any other legality, for it can endanger the lives of the members of the crew in their custody,” he said. Neither any Navy nor UN can save them.
Asked how he could save them, Senadhipathi said that they have the resourcefulness to do so and the experience because they had studied how Somali pirates operate in this region.
He said during our tenure for so many years they never had any problems coming from Somali pirates as they kept things under control by various means.
You cannot take liberties with Somali pirates,. Let the situation be handled by anti –hijacking and anti-piracy negotiators.
“Avant Garde has the intelligence and the expertise. We are lucky we still can do something about the situation because we still have some vessels deployed in that region,” he said.